The strategic plan that I was instrumental in developing mandates (a) a culture of educational excellence; (b) conveys the importance of respecting, admiring, and celebrating personal and cultural diversity; (c) stresses the importance of cultivating relationships with students, staff, families, and community through restorative justice practices; (d) extends and deepens relationships with families and community stakeholders; and (e) ensures that our schools are safe spaces where students and adults can thrive. Equity, inclusion, and justice are at the heart of a Strategic Plan aimed at fostering academic excellence, financial stability, and community partnerships.

As part of the strategic plan, I developed a framework for equity. The School Board voted unanimously to support its principles. The administration has used equity as a lens through which to make decisions about the budget, community partnerships, and curriculum. Equity underscores the need to be vigilant about centering the experiences of the kids who have not thrived in the past. It also means reimagining the purpose of school as a space that centers our students’ stories, affirms their gifts, and nurtures who they are and aspire to be. Perhaps most importantly, equity embraces principles of both justice and fairness.

During the past school year (2021-22), I have chaired the strategic and operations committee that has four specific aims. These aims stress transparency and accountability: (1) monitor how and in what ways the corporation is providing equitable access to high quality instruction, resources, and curriculum; (2) monitor initiatives and policies designed to significantly reduce disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions; (3) monitor efforts to achieve greater efficiency in non-instructional expenses and ensure dollars continue to flow to the classroom to ensure that significant instructional investments are made to support students with the greatest needs; (4) bring schools in line with the mission and vision of SBCSC articulated in the strategic plan; and (5) map out out curriculum goals, student needs, and space to assess how the corporation can best meet the goals of equity and inclusion. To achieve these goals, board members serving on the committee have worked with administrators and consultants to gather relevant information from the public, teachers, and staff about how to best achieve equity and inclusion in SBCSC.

I have served on the SBCSC restorative justice district team longer than I have actually been a member of the School Board. As a member of this team, I have had a hand in the implementation of restorative justice in schools, and have coached teachers and administrators in using restorative justice approaches to building community, repairing harm, and ensuring that children and adults treat each other with dignity. I have trained over 100 teachers and community members to use restorative justice practices to create just and fair spaces that stress the value of everyone’s voice, promote mutual responsibility, and work against policies that have created disparities in achievement and discipline.

I chaired SBCSC’s technology committee and developed a strategic plan for using technology in the classroom. Every student in SBCSC has a Chromebook, and the committee’s goal was to offer teachers a way to balance their use of technology with a student-centered curriculum that emphasizes interactions among students and their teachers. The curriculum was developed with the Indiana Department of Education and served teachers well when schools closed in March 2020.

When schools remained closed in fall 2020, teachers were able to build on and refine the curriculum that they had been using in the spring. Many children, however, could not be at home during this time. Therefore, I took the lead in developing a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club to create centers at schools and community centers. The Boys and Girls Club provided site leaders and SBCSC provided teachers, meals, and snacks. It was important to help the more than 500 students who needed adult supervision to help them log on to their Chromebooks, offer guidance in order to complete their assignments, and provide socio-emotional support. The kids needed to feel safe and know that the adults around them cared for their well-being. I made sure of these things by attending every center every day.

The Virtual School I helped develop has met the needs of students who, for one reason or another, prefer to complete their education online and not attend their home school. Educators in the Indiana Department of Education had been developing a set of guidelines and teaching models in 2021 that SBCSC has used. What is unique about the Virtual School is that SBCSC teachers serve as instructors for students in grades 9-12. They develop relationships with their students, meet with them in person, and ensure that they are accessible to their students. The Virtual School now serves over 500 high school students and has expanded to include middle school students.